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I have some dichondra silver falls planted in my backyard and they are growing well.
I wanted to know if they survive winter and regrow in spring or do I need to replant them next spring?
I am located in south east Melbourne
Hello @sadaf
Thank you for sharing your question about your Dichondras. Dichondra ‘Silver Falls’ is a tender perennial, so its survival over winter really depends on how cold your specific backyard gets. In southeast Melbourne, winters are generally cool rather than severe, but light frosts are common. Silver Falls will usually slow right down in winter and can be knocked back by frost, with foliage turning mushy or dying off above ground. If frosts are light and infrequent, the roots often survive and the plant will regrow once temperatures warm up in spring. In heavier or repeated frosts, the plant is more likely to die completely and won’t return.
In practical terms, many gardeners in southeast Melbourne find Silver Falls behaves like a short-lived perennial or an annual. If your garden is in a sheltered, frost-free spot such as near paving, walls, or under light tree cover, there is a reasonable chance it will come back. In exposed areas that get regular frost, it is safer to assume you may need to replant in spring. You can improve its chances by ensuring good drainage, avoiding winter waterlogging, and applying a light mulch to protect the roots from cold snaps.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
Hello @sadaf
You’re definitely thinking along the right lines, and it’s great that you’re planning ahead for something that will work long term in your garden.
Yes, Dichondra repens is a much better option than Silver Falls if you’re after a plant that will survive winter in southeast Melbourne and continue growing year after year without needing to be replanted each spring. It is far more cold and frost tolerant, and once established it tends to stay in place, slowly thickening rather than dying off. While it doesn’t have the same bright silver colour, it makes up for that with reliability and longevity.
Dichondra repens also works very well as a spill-over plant on retaining walls. It naturally trails and softens hard edges, forming a dense curtain of small round leaves. In most gardens it will slow down a little in winter but remain alive, then bounce back strongly as temperatures warm in spring. This makes it a good choice if you want a consistent look rather than something that disappears each year.
If you’re open to alternatives, there are a few other hardy plants that also cascade nicely over walls in this climate, such as creeping boobialla, prostrate rosemary, or myoporum varieties. These are tougher again and cope very well with sun, wind, and cold, although they have a slightly bolder look compared to the finer texture of dichondra.
Overall, if your main goal is a long-term, low-fuss plant that will reliably trail over your retaining walls without annual replacement, Dichondra repens is a very solid choice for your location.
If you need further assistance, please let us know.
Eric
